150 years later, Indian Falls United Methodists are still a community of faith

With prayer and praise, members of the Indian Falls United Methodist Church, celebrated the congregation's 150th anniversary Saturday with an outdoor service led by Rev. Karen Grinnell.

The service circled around the building with stops for a message from Grinnell, prayer, singing and Old and New Testament readings.

"We wanted to not only rededicate the building, but rededicate the congregation," Grinnell said.

The Indian Falls congregation is an active one and Grinnell said it's always had a strong sense of its mission.

"We like to be a strong, faithful presence in the community," Grinnell said.

The chuch was organized June 9, 1862, when Indian Falls was known as Tonawanda Falls, in the Robinson schoolhouse by 12 men as the Methodist Episcopal Church.

The current building was first erected in 1945 and added to over the years.

Faith is what has enabled to church to survive through 150 years of changing times and still be vibrant today.

"This is a very strong farming community and you see God at work in nature all the time," Grinnell said. "The descendents from the original 12 men had a strong faith and that faith has been passed down from generation to generation and this is what we have today."